Records: the RN commands the sea
'March 1378: From the Second Wave to the Third The carracks of the English merchant fleet were penetrating into foreign markets and making a substantial impression. The 250-ton ships were uncharacteristically large for any European vessel, much less an English one, but there were 40 carracks now sailing above 400 tons – and they were the talk of any town they made a port of call. Right up to the point one of the near-mythical English Royal galleons sailed in. They were sea creatures, krakens with white sails, steel cannons and brass fixtures. 'A ten-count' The Royal Company Shipworks finished Keel Group Two, with the Neptune the last to be christened. Now patrolling the Thames and the coast of England, the ships were sighted on their training runs and the word had spread through Harfleur all the way south to Castile that the Royal Navy was now up and running. As England symbolically banned the Inquisition from their shores, this maritime display was meant to reinforce exactly what would be stopping any so foolish as carry a fools banner across the Channel. The average galleon was literally four times the size of the French cogs or Castilian barges that had so recently won the day at La Rochelle, but that didn't matter at all: these giant English ships were equipped with stainless steel cannons – the kind that one-shot sunk a Castilian ship and signaled that retreat for the Arundel invasion force would result in a watery death. Now they were looking at ships that had dozens of guns on a ship: more than the Royal Army's artillery company on one vessel. ''RC Keel Group One'' *'''''Endeavour (1 – RC) *''Enterprise'' (2 – RC) *''Discovery'' (3 – RN, logs/special) *''Explorer'' (4 – RN, logs/special) *''Venture'' (5 – RC) ''RC Keel Group Two'' *''Britannia'' (6 – RN, logs) *''Albion'' (7 – RN, logs) *''Hibernia'' (8 – RN, logs) *''Poseidon'' (9 – RN) Man-o-war *''Neptune'' (10 – RN) Man-o-war There were 10 Royal galleons now in the water. The Endeavour, Enterprise, and Venture were hitting foreign ports of call, giving a shining example of English progress. The Poseidon and Neptune were out in sea trials, steel cannons already aboard. The Discovery and Explorer were already heading south in a secret search of the rumored Hawk Islands. The Britannia, Albion, and Hibernia were working with the Royal Army, breaking down the war wagons, loading horses aboard and taking the off again in endless training, drills, shakedowns and practice. The Royal Galleons were already having an effect around Europe and the ships were only in their proving-ground stages. 'The next wave of Royal galleons are commissioned' The ships had aleady put thousands ''of cannon rounds in practice fire, well out of earshot, and while not one gun had been fired in anger, there was little doubt what was going to happen when they finally unleashed. With the current ships already a success, more were ordered from Ratcliffe. Seven more logistics ships were ordered for the Royal Navy. They wanted to be able to deliver a Regiment to any coast, any where. And it only took one galleon to do that. ''Which was absurd. Yet, they were confident it could be done. And very likely it could, and it most definitely had something to do with Merlin's magic, though exactly how that manifest was still unknown. Three more logistics ships were ordered for the Royal Company, with construction dispersed among the next three Keel Groups. Likewise, three more man-o-war vessels were ordered as front-line nautical superiority ships. Two logs-configured ships were ordered as explorer tenders. Finally, one modified man-o-war was ordered as a Command and Control ship, essentially a super-gunship that would, in theory, be Edward’s primary maritime transport. ''RC Keel Group Three'' *''Liberty'' (11 – RN, logs) *''Journey'' (12 – RC, logs) *''Justice'' (13 – RN, logs) *''Dauntless'' (14 – RN) Man-o-war *''Integrity'' (15 – RN, logs) ''RC Keel Group Four'' *''Argonaut'' (16 – RN, explorer tender) *''Quest (17 – RN, explorer tender) *Valiant'' (18 – RN) Man-o-war *''Honorable'' (19 – RN, logs) *''Voyager'' (20 – RC, logs) ''RC Keel Group Five'' *''Gracious'' (21 – RN, logs) *''Courageous'' (22 – RN) Man-o-war *''Loyalty'' (23 – RN, logs) *''Pilgrimage'' (24 – RC, logs) *''Disciplined'' (25 – RN, logs) ''RC Keel Group Six'' *''Royal Sovereign (26 – RN, C&C) dreadnaught 'June 1378: the UK Royal Navy sinks the entire French naval fleet England was gearing up to bring stability to the neighbors, but exactly who that would be was yet to be determined. Either way, it was time to remind France that they'd broken the Treaty of Bruges. While the French had lost a number of vessels when their invasion force was lost, they had been building anew, waiting for the right moment – and keeping the ships close to harbor. The SA had the exact count and name of the ships, the schedule of the work crews, and the plans for staffing them. After careful calculation, and that the English ships were armed with cannons, but French coastal defenses were armed with harsh language, the RN could attack the rebuilt French royal fleet at Harfleur, on the Seine, with a mere two-ship fleet. It just so happened that those two English (UK) ships were the first 1500 ton Man-o-War Galleons. '''The Assault on France Maritime Assets Designed to minimize the loss of life and maximize the shock and awe psychological impact, the Poseidon and Neptune appeared at night, in a dense fog, silently, and began firing before anybody realized they were even there. For the French, it was a literal, near-supernatural nightmare. Within 90 seconds, the Poseidon and Neptune sank every single royal ship at its moorings. Not only were the French ships lost, the port was useless until they could clear out the wrecks. In roughly the same area, just minutes later, the English surgically attacked the trade port of Honfleur. The warships destroyed the French fortress and the defenses… but didn’t touch the French merchant vessels. The statement was absolutely crystal clear – and greatly appreciated by those very same French merchants. The "Merciful Message" The two-ship fleet sailed, at night, up river. It didn't take long before they made Paris itself – and when they arrived, parked just opposite the Bastille, the fortress designed to protect the strategic gateway of the Porte Saint-Antoine (strategic Parisian gate). Paris knew they were coming and sailed downriver to stop them – and the pair of maritime deities 1-shot sunk 11 French cogs before they were even close (and rescued 120 French soldiers as they sailed through). The chastel wasn't quite complete (projected: 1382 or so), but had been under construction since 1356. In the space of 15 minutes of surgical bombardment, the reduced the mighty keep to rubble. They did not devastate the city beyond, though that was expected as the locals had been fleeing in terror. The 120 rescued French soldiers were dropped off in Paris changed men. The Royal Navy more than made their point, both to France and to surrounding areas, though given there there were no words, it was eventually parsed as a very complex message. First, the power of these new English cannons could not be overestimated. Second, the English restraint demonstrated there was no war with France, but rather with House Valois. Third, the English Royal Marines were armed with the now-feared Projectors that devastated the invasion force at Arundel. They knew what they could do, but were instead merciful. The briefly-carried French POWs took that message to Paris. The Assault on Castile A few weeks later, the same pair of ships sailed up the River Guadalquivir, in the middle of broad daylight, right into the Port of Seville. Notably, there was no tacking to get upriver: the pair of ships were at full sail and plowing against the flow at least at 15 knots (which was ungodly fast for both the time and against the current). That sent resounding messages... At the time, Seville was the home to the Castilian fleet and pride of the Crown of Castile. By the time the Neptune and Poseidon were done, every vessel with a Castilian flag down to the rowboats had been blown from the water. On the west bank was the Castle of San Jorge, then occupied by the titular Order of St. George of Alfama. On the east bank was the Reales Alcázares de Sevilla, the local residence of Castilian King Henry II, who'd personally killed his half-brother Peter Just, the one-time ally of then-Crown Prince Edward of Woodstock. The castles were devastated – except for their chapels. It was in the chapel of the Alcazar that Henry II hid as pinpoint fire of the cannonballs destroyed everything around him. When the ships turned their attention to St George, across the river, a deafened, bloodied Henry was recorded as having fled Seville. There were no other targets, nor any other messages; there didn't need to be. The State of the Seas After the maritime statements made to France and Castile, English shipping had the run of the west from Denmark to Lisbon. They weren't focused on naval supremacy in the Mediterranean, but the stories of the cannons carried a great deal of weight with the Italian navies. Both French and Spanish maritime merchants told stories of having close encounters with English galleons that would sail by. The Royal Company galleons were always friendly, though usually didn't go out of their way unless they were helping somebody. The Royal Navy galleons always sailed right next to French or Castilian vessels. The RN was always silent...but polite.Category:Hall of Records Category:1378